stack up

verb

stacked up; stacking up; stacks up

intransitive verb

1

: to add up

Cars were beginning to stack up behind the bus.

2

: to be in a particular state or situation

Here's how things stack up today.

3

: measure up, compare

—usually used with against

How does he stack up against the other job candidates?

Synonyms of stack up

• compare (with)
• measure up (to)

Examples of stack up in a Sentence

those newspapers have been stacking up in the basement since we moved here

Recent Examples on the Web

Significant interest earnings on a $25,000 CD account in 2026 could stack up within just a few months. —Matt Richardson, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025

To date, the duo has already stacked up 100,000 modifications from nearly 18,000 films. —Viren Naidu, IndieWire, 18 Dec. 2025

The fryer is packed, there’s a gluten-free demand from the floor, and the dirty dishes are stacking up. —E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2025

But this team has not been trending in the right direction at all, and the little things have stacked up against the Chiefs (6-7) over and over. —Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 14 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for stack up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

stack up

verb

: measure up sense 2, compare

see how you stack up against the champion